President Donald Trump boasted to big ag executives at the American Farm Bureau Association convention in Nashville, Tenn. yesterday that an executive order he’s signed will help solve the persistent problem of appalling broadband speeds in rural America. Trump signed a memorandum directing the Interior Department to support broadband development in rural areas by increasing access to tower facilities managed …
Big tower build bonanza for towercos and contractors announced by Sprint
Sprint CFO Tarek Robbiati last week gave the industry an early holiday present – thousands of new towers to be built across the nation. At the 45th Annual UBS Global Media and Communications conference, Robbiati said the carrier intends to spend upwards of $4 billion on its network during fiscal 2017, which ends in March 2018, and expects to increase spending …
FDH Velocitel restructures after QualTek acquires Velocitel assets
Following QualTek Services’ recent acquisition of the assets of the Velocitel wireless turf and Site Safe businesses from Willis Stein & Partners and Vision Capital, FDH Velocitel’s remaining business units have reorganized into FDH Infrastructure Services (FDH-IS). FDH Velocitel’s infrastructure engineering businesses, FDH and Stainless, have been restructured to preserve both entities’ long traditions of service excellence to the wireless, …
Phillip Burtner named President of the Pennsylvania Wireless Association
The Pennsylvania Wireless Assocociation Board of Directors named Phillip Burtner, P.E. as President of the Association. Burtner replaces Chris Pleibel who served in the position for the past ten years. “I would like to thank Chris for the vision, guidance and leadership he has provided to our organization over the past decade as board member and president,” Burtner said. “Our …
New SCF study says small cells expected to reach up to 480 per square mile
Small Cell Forum (SCF), the telecoms organization driving universal cellular coverage, today announced the results of an in-depth survey of over 50 mobile operators, undertaken by Rethink Technology Research. The survey questioned operators’ deployment plans and business drivers for a dense HetNet, as well as the barriers they expect to have to overcome. The results showed that densification has begun …
Cary lands Boston-based CTI Towers as they continue to expand
CTI Towers, one of the nation’s largest privately-held tower companies, announces it will be relocating its corporate headquarters to Cary, NC. CTI has been based in the Boston market since its inception in 2011. CTI will be moving to the Highwoods property at 5000 CentreGreen Way, and will commence operations at the location beginning in February, 2018. “With our continued …
NATE highlights really remote tower site access
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today released a breathtaking video on the topic of operating snow tracked vehicles to access tower sites in remote locations. The video, the latest to make its debut as part of Volume 2 of the NATE Climber Connection series, is designed to emphasize the exciting opportunities available in the industry for those workers …
New antenna mount standard provides framework for a level playing field
When AMPS cell tower antennas made their debut in Chicago in 1983 they were 14 feet in length and as PCS was introduced they slimmed down in size. Today, new base station architecture has remote radio heads tagging alongside the antennas and they may be on a mount designed for horizontal wind loads and not the vertical dead loads created …
Either there’s a shortage of COWs in Puerto Rico or FCC data
In order for Americans to experience a total solar eclipse of the sun on Aug. 21 and record it on their cell phones, carriers rolled out dozens of Cell on Wheels and Cell on Light Trucks for the two-minute event, but can’t seem to provide Puerto Rico with any more than 14 COWs and COLTs, according to FCC data, as …
Wireless Infrastructure Show morphs in May into an exciting CONNECT (X) expo
The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today announced the creation of a ground-breaking new conference and trade show dedicated to the rapidly evolving telecommunications ecosystem. Over three action-packed days, attendees will experience cutting-edge discussions, workshops and keynote speeches from leaders across multiple industries – from wireless infrastructure and automotive to smart cities and commercial real estate. The Connectivity Expo — known …
Violent Florida contractor charged in $16 million DOD bribery and kickback conspiracy
Oct. 12, 2017 – Update and Correction: Timothy Donelson, who was arrested on Oct. 4 for participating in a bribery and kickback conspiracy was employed by Level 3 Communications, according to his LinkedIn page, during the period when he allegedly co-conspired with three other individuals who are charged with the issuance of almost $16 million in fraudulent invoices. Donelson’s arrest record identified that …
FCC gives Project Loon a kickstart to keep Puerto Ricans communicating
Google received approval to deploy an experimental balloon-based web service to restore cell reception to Puerto Ricans still struggling after Hurricane Maria devastated the island’s cell service. Today, 81 percent of Puerto Rico’s cell sites were out of service, almost no change from yesterday. The FCC said Saturday that it granted an “experimental license” for Alphabet Inc.’s (Google’s parent company) …
FCC votes to give $77 million for telecom in PR; Governor’s outages differ from FCC
Update: Oct. 4, 2017 – The FCC unanimously voted today to immediately provide carriers with up to seven-months’ worth of support from the FCC’s Universal Service Fund, which helps lower the cost of deploying service in areas that are costly to serve. Any funds advanced under today’s action can be used to repair telecommunications infrastructure and restore service to customers …
Grant will provide hundreds of workers with rigger awareness training through NATE
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Labor – OSHA to receive a $155,000 Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grant for the 2017-2018 program year. The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program awards grants to nonprofit organizations on a competitive basis. Awards are issued annually based on Congressional appropriation. …
Lack of on-site generators, COWs, contributes to Puerto Rico’s still horrendous cell service
After Hurricane Maria’s catastrophic devastation of Puerto Rico’s cell sites, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai directed his staff last week to reach out to American Tower, SBA Communications and Crown Castle “to see how we can work together to address Puerto Rico’s communications needs,” However, according to over a dozen industry professionals interviewed by Wireless Estimator, the answers are already known …
NATE unveils DAS video featuring Super Bowl LII venue at U.S. Bank Stadium
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today unveiled a Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) video as part of Volume 2 of the popular Climber Connection series. The video was released at the NATE Wireless Industry Network (WIN) Great Plains Regional Conference in Bloomington, Minn. The fast-paced video highlights the explosive growth of DAS and the essential role this technology plays …
Rivada to testify at Pennsylvania Senate & House joint hearing on FirstNet
The Pennsylvania Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness and the Senate Committee on Communications & Technology announced they will host a Joint Public Hearing at 9:00 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2017 in the North Office Building to review FirstNet in Pennsylvania. The hearing will focus on construction and interoperability of the Commonwealth Public Safety Broadband Network (CPSBN) through …
Not ready to opt in to FirstNet, Georgia becomes the 13th state to issue an RFP
Georgia recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) asking bidders to submit proposals to build and maintain an alternative LTE radio access network (RAN) for FirstNet under a potential “opt-out” scenario, making Georgia the 13th state with an active procurement for an alternative-RAN vendor. Georgia released the RFP on Sept. 22, and bids are due on Oct. 24. The proposed …
The world’s first all-wireless small cell just got its Sprint “wings”
Chief Operating Officer, Technology, Sprint, Günther Ottendorfer explains the new technology By Günther Ottendorfer Chief Operating Officer, Technology, Sprint There’s magic in the air for Sprint customers! Our newest technology innovation, Sprint Magic Box, has taken to the sky as the world’s first all-wireless aerial small cell. When we launched Sprint Magic Box in May, we hinted that this unique …
FCC says wireless carriers remain competitive, but not by building new cell sites
Carriers captured high grades for competitiveness, according to the FCC’s Twentieth Mobile Wireless Competition Report, an annual analysis of whether there is effective rate rivalry with wireless operators Although the 34-page report provides a wealth of additional information to support competitiveness, according to Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), anybody who has turned on a …
